today's lesson

for those of you still reading that i haven't bored to death, i thought i'd talk about why we chose domestic vs international adoption.

we looked into both several years ago. we looked at ukrainian adoption since bill's grandma is first gen. ukrainian american. (and still can speak it even though she denies it completely.) :) but it can be expensive with the travel and the children are generally older (2+ yrs was fairly common when we last researched it.)

international adoption gives you a bit more of a definitive timeline. it takes X weeks to get this paperwork in, X weeks to be matched, X weeks for paperwork in country to be completed, etc etc. but typically parents don't have much medical history (if any), and foreign countries can change their minds about rules (china just did it, russia is doing it and guatemala is getting ready to shut down altogether. of course, domestic BMs (birth mother) can change their minds too!) some countries have children in foster homes, and some have them in orphanages. developmental delays can happen in orphanages from lack of one on one attention, but most kids catch up quickly in an adoptive home with lots of attention.

domestic adoptions have really no known timeline. you could be chosen in a week; you could be chosen in year, or more. but typically, you can find lots of medical background info. often adoptive parents can speak directly to the BM. sometimes they are even there for the birth of the child! domestic adoption is the only way to adopt a new born baby and have them home with you within a few weeks. but, of course, you always run the risk of the BM changing her mind. good agencies help reduce this risk, but even good agencies can't control everything.

there are lots of websites out there with more info. just google domestic and international adoption.